Browse > Home / Travel News / On the Eve of the 4th of July, 2008

On the Eve of the 4th of July, 2008

July 3, 2008

A lot of things have changed since a year ago. Gas prices at the pump are now $4.10 a gallon here in Florida. The advance of scooters and bicycles is quite noticeable. Many front yards line up gass guzzling SUV’s and trucks with for sale signs on them, right next to the Real Estate Agent’s for sale signs.

Utlility price increases are staggering. Default on credit card payments is almost 40%. The highways are noticeably lighter in traffic and grocery prices in supermarkets are about 25% up from last year.
For the first time in history are we looking at a serious chance of political change. Good or bad, time will tell.

Stagflation has crept over the horizon of the economy. The economy is contracting severely and we’re all trying to adjust our budgets and weather the storm.

Tomorrow will be the National Holiday and fireworks will be part of the festivities, as will be barbecues, dancing in the street, parades, concerts and much more. Some of us (and I’m one of them) actually are of the opinion that the current economic adjustment is badly needed. The proportion of adjustment will be staggering, and therefore will teach us that “trees don’t grow into the heavens” and “gravity is real”. No matter how much we think that we deserve everything material in life, it’s not going to happen. When we become too complacent, greedy and demanding, a force of nature will be waiting around the curve to whack us back into place. And that’s what’s going to happen for the next 2 years or so; we’re paying for our excessive spending over the past 20 years. All the economic powers in place in this global marketplace need the time to perform their role in the balancing process. While that is happening, we will have to thread water and keep our heads above the surface. With a little help from our friends we will survive and re-visit human values we lost along the way. Holidays are good times to reflect upon our lives and shrug off the demons with a drink and a smile in good company. Looking at it that way might make the time until the next 4th of July a little easier to accept.

Happy 4th of July.

Written by stringdude · Filed Under Travel News 

Comments

One Response to “On the Eve of the 4th of July, 2008”

  1. Saint-Martin » On the Eve of the 4th of July, 2008 on July 20th, 2008 6:38 pm

    [...] On the Eve of the 4th of July, 2008A lot of things have changed since a year ago. Gas prices at the pump are now $4.10 a gallon here in Florida. The advance of scooters and bicycles is quite noticeable. Many front yards line up gass guzzling SUV’s and trucks with for … [...]

Got something to say?

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Search blog stories: